Being SMART About Setting Goals

A lot of people create excitement around ideas, but then those lofty goals more often than not, fall to the wayside. Why is this? To begin with, let’s look at the excuses we use to justify why our goals fail. Notice,

I don’t have time / I’m too busy

I don’t have enough money

It’s (insert someone else’s name)’s fault

It’s too hard / harder than I expected

I’ll do it later

I don’t know how

It’s just not “the right time”

Let’s talk about setting goals. You have to be S.M.A.R.T. about your goals. S.M.A.R.T. goals are:

What happens if you don’t meet your goals? It’s ok! Just take a realistic look at what happened, and set a new milestone date. Just don’t go back to the excuse list!

If you don’t respect yourself or hold yourself in high enough regard, why should other people? Learn to keep your commitments to yourself first, and then you will be better prepared to deal with the commitments to others in your life – your clients, family, and employees.

Watch how others start regarding you when you take yourself seriously. What if you really don’t have time? Oh right…you’re *different*. The truth is, that everybody has time for the things that are important to them. If you don’t have time, the maybe it just isn’t really a priority for you (and, that’s OK!). If someone offered you a million pounds to do something you “don’t have time to do,” would you find time?

Keys to accomplishing your goals:

Write them down – tape them to your wall, or carry them in a notebook. Look at them every day.

Tell other people – enlist others in helping to make you accountable.

Ask people for help don’t assume people know what you want or need. Try being direct it’s a rare trait these days.

In conclusion – being S.M.A.R.T. about your goals, is the key to achieving them.